Abstract

Much of the material in this volume is an excellent example of the application of basic virology and molecular technology to associate viruses with certain diseases and, in many cases, to understand their epidemiology. These chapters are generally consistent in describing clinical syndromes, physicochemical and biological properties of the known or suspected viruses, and what is known about pathogenesis and immunity. Some chapters deal exclusively with epidemiology and control of infectious disease, and are well written. The broad range of subjects presented in this volume can be seen from the chapter titles, and only brief comments follow. The Molecular Epidemiology of Rotavirus Gastroenteritis (M. K. Estes et al.) includes the use of rotavirus electropherotypes (based on the migration patterns of the segmented dsRNA on polyacrylamide gels) to analyze virus variation and geographic distribution of various strains.